Kona Takahashi looked rusty in his first start of the season, but the Seibu Lions' hitters kept him in the game in a 7-6 win over the Orix Buffaloes on Wednesday.
Takahashi (1-0) allowed four runs on seven hits, three walks and a hit batsman over six innings, but it was Ernesto Mejia's sixth-inning sacrifice fly that broke a 4-4 tie and enabled the right-hander to walk away with a win.
"They scored four runs off me, but the hitters put some runs on the board and I'm grateful to them," said the 21-year-old Takahashi.